A number of disposable plastic vaginal specula have been developed, such as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,047 and 4,766,887, among others. These disposable vaginal specula are highly useful for high-volume clinical users. The former disposable speculum, for example, is made from a transparent plastic material, such as polystyrene, including a fixed blade portion, a movable blade portion and a slide portion permitting the blades to adjustably assume at least one of a plurality of open positions for conducting a cervical examination.
Illumination systems, such as the Welch Allyn 78010 and 78810 illuminator utilizing the 78000 and 78800 illuminator have been incorporated into the above disposable specula to enhance the examination. A miniature halogen or other incandescent light source is retained in an assemblage that is releasably insertable into a slot provided in a hollow leg of the fixed blade member of the speculum. A curved light conducting bar relays light from the lamp of the illumination assembly along a longitudinal axis of the fixed blade member of the speculum to a medical target area.
One ever present problem that has been faced since the introduction of illumination assemblies as described above is that of contamination due to exigencies of the examination process itself and the normal tendency for body fluids, etc., to make their way to the illumination assembly. While the above described specula are disposable, the illumination assemblies are intended for reuse and therefore excess contamination is a problem that reduces efficiency for the physician and/or gynecologist, given that the illumination assembly therefore requires cleaning prior to each patient use.